Author: Kalashian Nyrie

CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II: "ARMENIAN CHURCH TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT PROGRESS OF ARTSAKH"

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2008

ETCHMIADZIN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian Church will
continue to support the progress of Artsakh. This statement was made
by Patriarch Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, receiving
Bako Sahakian, the President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, in
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on February 11. His Holiness also
expressed his satisfaction to the NKR President with the kind attitude
displayed towards the Armenian Apostolic Church and the support the
authorities display towards the Armenian diocese of Artsakh.

In his turn Bako Sahakian mentioned that Artsakh has always felt the
assistance of Mother Church and His Holiness.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Information
Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, during the meeting
they also touched upon the forthcoming presidential elections of
Armenia. His Holiness and the President of the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh considered it important that the elections should pass in
a circle of legality, in an atmosphere of peace and solidarity.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
February 11, 2007
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]

THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA MOURNS THE LOSS OF CONGRESSMAN TOM LANTOS

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America mourns the loss of
Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), a champion of human rights and the only
Holocaust survivor to ever serve in the U.S. Congress. Lantos passed
away early this morning at the age of 80.

First elected in 1980, Lantos served as Chairman of the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs and sat on the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform. In addition to chairing the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Lantos co-founded and co-chaired the Congressional Human Rights Caucus,
which helped raise awareness of critical issues around the world and
became a catalyst for bringing Members of Congress together. After
announcing that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus,
Lantos said that he would not seek reelection after concluding his 14th
term in Congress.

As Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lantos supported adoption
of H. Res. 106, which affirms the historical truth of the Armenian
Genocide. This resolution passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by
a vote of 27 to 21. Lantos also supported an identical measure during
the 109th Congress having reversed his previous opposition to a similar
resolution in 2000.

In addition to his support of H.Res. 106, Lantos also spoke out against
the genocide taking place in Darfur. In April of 2006, Lantos was
arrested at the Sudanese Embassy while protesting against the genocide
in Darfur along with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Olver
(D-MA), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).

"Throughout his career, Congressman Lantos demonstrated great courage
and conviction as he worked tirelessly to address countless human rights
issues," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "We join with Armenian
Americans from across the country in morning his passing and hope that
his important work in defense of human rights will continue to inspire
future generations."

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2008-017

8 ACTIONS BROUGHT AGAINST…

Panorama.am
18:53 09/02/2008

According to the official data 34 announcements of the electoral
violations were received and 17 of which was in media. In the results
of those announcements 8 criminal actions were brought, 17 of them
were refused, 5 were commented and 9 are in the process.

The information is provided by the press secretary of chief
prosecutor’s office.

According to the source the actions are brought against the incident
on Country of Laws electoral unit in Vardanantc 47, Vanadzor on
25 January; against Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s followers for ignoring
"stop" mark and the policemen on 27 January; against Seyran Haroyan
for shooting on Serzh Sargsyan’s electoral unit on 30 January;
against the two shooting cases on Serzh Sargsyan’s electoral units in
Yerevan; against the incident of attempt to fire Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s
electoral unit on 1 February; and against the fight in Artashat during
Ter-Petrosyan’s meeting.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Victor Zubkov’s visit is of both Armenia’s and
Russia’s interest and it should be regarded from this
very point of view

Moscow’s fears regarding the expansion of the region
by the USA and NATO are completely justified; however
the expansion is carried out just as it used to be in
the times of the USSR; i.e. the main aim was to scare
the `partner’ as much as possible or to leave it
standing in front of a choice.
07.02.2008 GMT+04:00

The visit of Russia’s Prime Minister Victor Zubkov to
Armenia on the eve of the elections gave rise to a lot
of conjecture about its aim and outcomes, and it is
mostly believed that the aim of the visit is the one –
supporting Serge Sargsyan in the Presidential
elections. At least this is what the Armenian Mass
Media believes, however missing one very important
detail; it is not the Russian, but the Armenian
citizen who is going to vote. In this regard the
support from the outside has always had the opposite
effect on any candidate’s reputation.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ However, one of the reasons of
Zubkov’s visit, in our opinion, is supporting Armenia
in the sphere of Russia’s influence, because if
Armenia also `goes’ to the USA and Europe, Russia will
have nothing to do here. According to the Deputy
Director of the Center of Caucasian Studies at Moscow
State Institute of International Relations Professor
Vladimir Zakharov, at present Russia lacks a
distinguished politics regarding the countries of
Southern Caucasus. `Southern Caucasus is becoming one
of the priority directions of NATO. A new regional
geopolitical plan is being held here, which may leave
Russia out,’ said Zakharov.

The Professor also mentioned that Georgia and
Azerbaijan have practically `separated’ from Russia.
`Having lost Armenia, Russia will never be able to
return to South Caucasus any more,’ he emphasized.
According to him, any armed conflict in Georgia will
become a reason for the USA to enter the region, and
consequently, to prepare for the possible attack on
Iran.

Moscow’s fears regarding the expansion of the region
by the USA and NATO are completely justified; however
the expansion is carried out just as it used to be in
the times of the USSR; i.e. the main aim was to scare
the `partner’ as much as possible or to leave it
standing in front of a choice. None of them may be
convenient to Armenia. We shouldn’t be deluded with
Russia’s promises. Other than xenophobia, taking away
lives of the Armenians in Russia, there is one more
very important issue – Turkey. On February 16 the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ali Babacan is
going to Moscow. The times, when Moscow considered
Turkey an enemy, have long gone. Now Russia is
interested in Turkey, especially in the light of
frequent deteriorations of the relations of Turkey
with the USA. Armenia must be ready to the fact that
in the worst case the year of 1921 may repeat itself,
when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk signed an agreement with
Lenin exchanging the necessary weapon with the
Armenian Issue. From this very point of view Treaty of
Kars signed behind Armenia’s back should be
considered.

But all this is a history. For the present the
Armenian-Russian relations are quite stable and have
quite good perspective. After all, it is quite likely
that Russia is going to be the one to establish a new
atomic power-plant, which is already a rather serious
fact. Nevertheless, Victor Zubkov’s visit is of both
Armenia’s and Russia’s interest and it should be
regarded from this very point of view.

According to the Russian Prime Minister, Russia is
Armenia’s main foreign investor. `The total bulk of
Russia’s investment at the rate of $1 milliard is a
serious argument for our intention of developing the c
o-operation. Joint investment projects are quite
successfully realized. These projects embrace all the
new fields, including the field of nuclear-power
engineering, diamond manufacture, as well as the
sphere of telecommunication,’ he said.

Victor Zubkov also mentioned that Russia still holds
the status of the external economic partner of
Armenia. `Over the last two years the two-sided
commodity circulation has grown for 60% and has got
past the point of $700 million, which is a very high
index,’ he said. According to Zubkov, `This is not the
limit and the $1 milliard boundary will be past in the
near future.

Serge Sargsyan, confirming his colleague’s words,
mentioned that this boundary may be reached in the
near future, since `the potential is much greater’.
«PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department

Human right activist proposed using the resource of social groups

09-02-2008 14:29:56 – KarabakhOpen

`In this unstable world peace and stability in entire regions depend on
the degree of development of the civil society. Unfortunately, over the
past 14 years since the cease-fire the stances of the sides of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have not come closer. In addition, hostile
rhetoric has intensified on both sides, there is no mutual confidence,’
said human rights activist, director of the Center for Civil
Initiatives Albert Voskanyan in an interview with Karabakh-Open.com.

Recently the Karabakh human rights activist has participated in the
conference on the South Caucasian conflicts in the Armenian resort
Tsaghkadzor, in which diplomats, experts, representatives of NGOs and
media of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and several European
countries participated.

Albert Voskanyan says in order to transform the perception of the
conflict and put the public onto a constructive path, it is necessary
to reject information which distorts the essence of conflicts, not to
use the situation for propaganda. `It is necessary to teach tolerance
to people step by step, reject destructive and in fact unreal ways of
resolution of conflicts,’ said Albert Voskanyan. In this context, he
says it is necessary to use the resource of the social groups which
suffered from the conflict most ` families of killed soldiers,
refugees, disabled people and veterans of war. `They possess immense
potential for peace building, for the people who have experienced the
horror and hardship of war feel the need for a peace settlement more
acutely,’ Albert Voskanyan says.

During the conference the South Caucasian conflicts regional security,
boosted military budgets of the South Caucasian states, and their
impact on stability and democratization in the South Caucasian
societies were discussed.

Sharia comments trigger criticism

BBC
08-02-2008 12:36:08 – KarabakhOpen

The Archbishop of Canterbury has come under fire after appearing to
back the adoption of Sharia law in the UK.
The prime minister’s spokesman said Sharia law could never be used to
justify a breach of English law.

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: "To ask us to fundamentally
change the rule of law and to adopt Sharia law, I think, is
fundamentally wrong."

Dr Rowan Williams told BBC Radio 4 he believed the adoption of some
Sharia law in the UK seemed "unavoidable".

‘Unacceptable and unhelpful’

Dr Williams said the UK had to "face up to the fact" some citizens did
not relate to the British legal system.

He said adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law could help social
cohesion. For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or
financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.

But Gordon Brown’s spokesman said the prime minister "believes that
British laws should be based on British values".

He added that Mr Brown had a good relationship with the archbishop, who
was perfectly entitled to express his views.

For the Conservatives, shadow community cohesion minister Baroness
Warsi said the archbishop’s comments were "unhelpful".

She told BBC News 24: "Dr Williams seems to be suggesting that there
should be two systems of law, running alongside each other, almost
parallel, and for people to be offered the choice of opting into one or
the other. That is unacceptable."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said he had "an enormous amount of
respect" for Dr Williams, but could not agree with him on this issue.

He said: "Equality before the law is part of the glue that binds our
society together. We cannot have a situation where there is one law for
one person and different laws for another.

"There is a huge difference between respecting people’s right to follow
their own beliefs and allowing them to excuse themselves from the rule
of law."

Trevor Phillips, who chairs the Equality and Human Rights Commission
said the "implication that British courts should treat people
differently based on their faith is divisive and dangerous".

"It risks removing the protection afforded by law, for example, to
children in custody cases or women in divorce proceedings," he said.

‘Sensational’

Dr Williams said Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark
alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

In an interview with BBC correspondent Christopher Landau, he argued
this relied on Sharia law being better understood. At the moment, he
said "sensational reporting of opinion polls" clouded the issue.

He stressed "nobody in their right mind would want to see in this
country the kind of inhumanity that’s sometimes been associated with
the practice of the law in some Islamic states; the extreme
punishments, the attitudes to women as well".

But Dr Williams said an approach to law which simply said "there’s one
law for everybody and that’s all there is to be said, and anything else
that commands your loyalty or allegiance is completely irrelevant in
the processes of the courts – I think that’s a bit of a danger".

Dr Williams added: "What we don’t want either, is I think, a stand-off,
where the law squares up to people’s religious consciences."

Under English law, people may devise their own way to settle a dispute
in front of an agreed third party as long as both sides agree to the
process.

Muslim Sharia courts and Orthodox Jewish courts which already exist in
the UK come into this category.

Mohammed Shafiq, director of the Ramadhan Foundation, welcomed Dr
Williams’s comments, saying they "further underline the attempts by
both our great faiths to build respect and tolerance".

He added: "I believe that Muslims would take huge comfort from the
government allowing civil matters being resolved according to their
faith."

Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "We’re looking
at a very small aspect of Sharia for Muslim families when they choose
to be governed with regards to their marriage, divorce, inheritance,
custody of children and so forth."

He added: "Let’s debate this issue. It is very complex. It is not as
straight forward as saying that we will have a system here."

PanARMENIAN.Net

Cemal Usak: ordinary Turkish citizens indifferent
about absence of relations with Armenia
07.02.2008 16:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Armenia and Turkey are far from
each other in politics and at the same time are very
close in culture. Besides, we are neighbors,’ said
Cemal Usak, Secretary General of Intercultural
Dialogue Platform. The closed border affects both
states but Armenia suffers more, he said.

`From the economic standpoint, open border is not a
necessity for Turkey but Armenia needs it not to pay
Georgia for transit of Turkish goods. It’s a mere
political issue. Certainly, I would like to travel
directly but not through a third state,’ Usak said.

`The events of 1915 were a tragedy both for Turkey and
Armenia. You lost compatriots, we lost our friends and
relatives. In course of 700 years Armenians and Turks
lived like friends. The past 100 years made us
enemies. But, to be honest, I don’t think that
ordinary Turkish citizens are concerned about absence
of relations with Armenia,’ Usak said.

Since the middle of 16th century Western Armenia had
been under the Ottoman yoke. The first pogroms started
under the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1867 and
continued till 1923. The Armenian Genocide claimed
lives of 1,5 million of people. Half a million found
shelter in different countries throughout the globe,
forming the Armenian Diaspora.

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RUSSIA MAJOR INVESTOR AND ECONOMIC PARTNER FOR ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.02.2008 17:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia is Armenia’s major investor, RF Prime Minister
Victor Zubkov told a news conference in Yerevan.

"The accumulated volume of Russian investments amounting in $1 billion
strengthens our intention to develop cooperation. Joint programs are
being successfully implemented. They cover new sectors, including
atomic energy, diamond production and communications," he said.

"Russia also maintains the status of Armenia’s leading economic
partner. The commodity turnover accretion made 60% and is approaching
$1 billion," he added.

For his part, Armenian Foreign Minister Serzh Sargsyan said that the
potential of the Armenian-Russian relations is huge and the figure
of $1 billion is a matter of near future, Novosti Armenia reports.

KARABAKH AGAIN THE FOCUS OF FOREIGN POLICY
By Fariz Ismailzade

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Feb 7 2008

After rather a calm year in 2007, conflict over Karabakh is once
again emerging as a primary foreign policy focus in both Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Last year, Azerbaijani and Armenian politicians, as well
as international mediators, struggled to find a breakthrough in the
peace talks over the ongoing conflict for control of the region but
achieved few results.

Several factors have blocked a resolution, including the May 2007
parliamentary election in Armenia. International actors and local
policymakers were distracted by the political unrest in Georgia,
the U.S.-Russia talks on the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan, and
the launch of the Baku-Kars-Akhalkalaki railway. Thus, the Karabakh
conflict was put on the backburner, although both the presidents and
foreign ministers of the warring states met on numerous occasions to
continue the dialogue.

The year 2008, however, started with some real efforts to finalize the
talks. On January 21, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
published an op-ed, "The Caspian Moment," in the Wall Street Journal in
which he argued that it is high time to resolve the Karabakh conflict
and that any further delay in the negotiations will negatively hurt
regional oil and gas projects, damage the region’s business climate,
and obstruct much-needed collaboration in the fight against terrorism,
transnational threats, and environmental dangers.

Ilgar Mammadov, an independent political expert in Baku, believes
that the government is sending signals that it would like the West to
pressure Armenia in exchange for Azerbaijan’s possible membership in
NATO. In an interview with Azadliq radio, Mammadov argued that the
recent challenges to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili showed
that Tbilisi’s pro-Western policies will continue and will eventually
lead to Georgia becoming a NATO member (Azadliq, January 21).

Azerbaijan, Mammadov believes, will have to make a choice at some
point to join this trend or not. Thus, Azerbaijan seems to be asking
for more help on the Karabakh conflict in exchange for eventually
choosing Brussels instead of Moscow.

According to local pundits, there is another reason for the emergence
of Karabakh as a major bargaining topic in 2008. Both countries have
presidential elections scheduled this year (Armenia on February 19
and Azerbaijan October 15), and Western powers reportedly hope to seal
some sort of written agreement, even if merely a framework, before the
voting takes place. It is not a secret that the Western governments are
putting pressure on the political leadership in both Baku and Yerevan
to find areas for compromise. In the case of Armenia, these pressures
are also associated with the possible transfer of power from President
Robert Kocharian to his designated successor, Prime Minister Sergei
Sarkisian. If the political regime in Yerevan agrees to make painful,
but much needed concessions at the negotiating table, the West would
be more inclined to support such an orchestrated transfer of power,
in order not to jeopardize these fragile achievements.

Meanwhile, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dmitrij Rupel, who is
currently the acting chairman of the European Union, visited Baku on
February 4 and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Benito
Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations, also took
part in the talks. Both sides discussed the ever-growing relations
and partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan and praised the
recent opening of an EU office in Baku. They also discussed the
Karabakh conflict. According to the Day.az website, Rupel declared,
"We hope that the presidential elections will not negatively affect
the peace process. We would be pleased if both sides came to an
agreement" (Day.az, February 4). Ferrero-Waldner added, "The sides
must understand that the soonest resolution of the conflict will lead
to the development of both countries with high rates."

APA news agency reported that the Special Representative of the OSCE
Acting Chairman Andrzej Kasprzyk had stated that the OSCE Minsk group’s
co-chairs would present a new proposal to Azerbaijan and Armenia after
the OSCE’s acting chairman, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilk Kanerva,
visits the region (APA, February 4).

Despite the recent momentum in the talks, realists believe that
nothing tangible will emerge due to Russia’s tough position in the
Caucasus and the widening gap between the public and political
leadership in both Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the ways to
solve the conflict. Writing in European Voice, Sabine Frasier of the
International Crisis Group warned that the war might resume in 2012,
when Azerbaijan’s ongoing military buildup should reach sufficient
levels (European Voice, January 31).

SERIOUS AMBITIONS OF ARMIMPEXBANK DICTATE IMPRESSIVE CAPITALIZATION

arminfo
2008-02-06 13:19:00

ArmInfo. Armimpexbank intends to raise equity by $50 million to $65
million in the current year, Chairman of Armimpexbank Board Artak
Anesyan told ArmInfo. Due to it, a credit per client will make up
$13 million, which is rather a good indicator for Armenia.

He said the authorized capital of the bank will be raised by 4.4
billion drams to 6.4 billion drams by late February and then by 11
billion drams to 17.4 billion drams by late April. The bank will
raise the authorized capital through additional issue of shares,
which is to be distributed to the bank’s shareholders. A. Anesyan
explained that the raise of the capital by $50 million is planned
till May since the bank will start actively operating just from May.

The bank does not expect profit in 2008 for it plans to invest in
both key figures and non-material assets (hardware, software, IP,
new programs, re-branding, considerable growth of marketing expenses,
increase in the number of employees to 200 people). Moreover, the
bank is expected to invest in earning assets and to raise the limit
for corporate clients. The year 2008 will actually become the year of
the bank’s promotion. The bank plants to get over $5 million profit
in 2009, which will allow raising the capital.

Armimpexbank total capital made up 3.441 billion drams on January 1
2008 (a 6.1% annual growth), authorized capital made up 2.028 billion
drams, assets – 13.6 billion drams (a 20.4% annual growth). The
bank completed the year 2007with 162.2 million net profits. Russian
Troika Dialog Investment Company belonging to TDA Holdings Limited
has 96.15pct stake in Armimpexbank.